Steam News announces that free access to Battlefield 2042 is now underway, and anyone with a Steam account can check out the futuristic first-person shooter for free between now and Monday. The game is on sale, and there are login rewards even for free players:

Deploy in December and see what new, great content Season 3 - Escalation brings to the table. Also, fight on over 15 maps, including 4 reworked battlefields from Battlefield 2042.

Find your playstyle with over 100 weapons and gadgets and pilot over 40 powerful vehicles. Pick your favorite out of 13 Specialists and make the most of their Traits and Specialties across 6 game modes. Want to change the rules of war? Explore the Battlefield Portal Builder and use our tools with your rules.

Oh, and there are login rewards waiting for those joining the Free Access period, as well as for Battlefield 2042 owners!

Frictional Games announces Amnesia: The Bunker, a new installment in its Amnesia series coming to the Epic Games Store, Steam, and consoles next year, with Epic and Steam currently showing a March window. It's natural that we'd forget the franchise, so the Announcement Trailer is here to refresh our memories. But whatever you do recall, word is the new game changes things up with a sandbox approach:

Unlike their previous Amnesia games, Amnesia: The Bunker will feature a new kind of horror survival adventure that incorporates emergent gameplay and sandbox elements into the mix. Players will be in total control of their moment-to-moment decisions. Armed with a revolver gun and a noisy dynamo flashlight, players will walk the course of an ill-lighted WW1 bunker on the shoes of a French soldier troubled by his amnesia and hunted by an otherworldly creature.

Amnesia: The Bunker will test players’ cleverness, courage, and ability to keep cool under pressure to make quick problem-solving decisions. There are multiple available solutions to each task, puzzle, and approach to the game’s obstacles; it’s up to you to decide your moves.

Continue here to read the full story.

A new patch is now available in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, updating the Viking action game to version 1.6.2. This was planned for next week, but is now live on all platforms. A separate post reveals Destiny 2 crossover cosmetics which are still expected on December 6th. Today's update is called The Last Chapter, as it is the game's final post-release content, weighing in at 13.19 GB on PC. There's also a heads-up that a free weekend will give everyone the chance to sample the game starting on December 15th. Here's a Final Content Update Trailer with a look, and here's more:

In this final content update, players will discover the end of Eivor’s story with The Last Chapter and meet the charismatic Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s character Roshan in Shared History. On December 6, players will be able to custom their experience with a Destiny 2 crossover partnership. Finally, from December 15 to December 19, everyone will be able to play Assassin’s Creed Valhalla for free, during a Free Weekend.

The Last Chapter is a new free quest bringing an intimate end to Eivor’s adventures. This epilogue ties up some of the storylines established during the game. Players will reunite with key characters, historical figures, old friends and enemies, while discovering new adventures and memories which will wrap up the incredible story of Eivor. The Last Chapter is an end game content, requiring players to have completed certain parts of the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla narrative.

As part of this final content update, players will also get the opportunity to cross path with Roshan, Basim’s mentor, voiced by the Emmy-winning actress Shohreh Aghdashloo. In the Shared History free quest, Eivor discovers they share a common enemy.

Continue here to read the full story.

New Frontiers is now available as the latest DLC for Tropico 6, the island dictator simulation. It's hard to find new frontiers on an island nation, which is why El Presidente is turning his gaze towards the stars. So the island of Tropico is joining the space race, which puts you in competition with all the other narcissistic megalomaniacs of our time. This is available for PC and consoles, with the Windows edition offered on the Epic Games Store, GOG.com*, and Steam. Here's the Release Trailer with a look, and here's more:

In Tropico 6 – New Frontiers, players are tasked with ensuring Tropico stays ahead of the international competition. It’s a wide world out there and El Prez is taking his persuasion tactics to galactic heights. With the new Space Port Complex, players will embark on launching Tropico into a glorious new future as they construct rockets and delve into research. Take on the Space Race, walk on the Moon and establish the first Mars colony of humankind with the all-new Mission Mars campaign. New characters, buildings, and edicts open countless possibilities to make more money, keep your citizens happy and improve upon that Tropican perfection. You can even customize a fresh look for El Prez and his palace which is out of this world. But be warned, even with a stellar plan there is no greater risk than space exploration, and who knows what unforeseen circumstances await. You’ll need to be creative if you want to claim glory for Tropico.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

AMD now offers new version 22.11.2 Adrenalin Edition Windows drivers for AMD Radeon graphic cards. The full Release Notes have all the details. Here's the big picture:

This release adds support for:

• The Callisto Protocol™
• Need for Speed™ Unbound
• The Witcher® 3: Wild Hunt Next-Gen Update

This release also contains stability improvements for end user reported issues.

With The Forbidden Sanctum set to open in the PC edition of Path of Exile next week, Grinding Gear Games unveils more details about this latest expansion for the free-to-play action/RPG. This video is a recording of today's livestream content reveal, and there's also a new Official Trailer with a condensed look at the add-on. The Windows and macOS launch will come on December 9th, while the console launch will follow on the 14th. Here's the elevator pitch:

During the stream, Grinding Gear Games Co-founder Chris Wilson revealed that Path of Exile: The Forbidden Sanctum will feature a brand new Challenge League and improvements to Path of Exile's endgame, alongside two new Skill Gems, seven new Vaal Skill Gems, over 15 new Unique Items, significant balance changes to jewels, hexes, monster modifiers, unique weapons and more. This expansion also introduces Ruthless, an optional new way to play Path of Exile with extreme item scarcity.

Continue here to read the full story.

tinyBuild Riga announces the PC edition of Hello Engineer will launch early next year on Steam, exposing a wider audience to the Stadia-exclusive installment in the creepy neighbor game series. On a related note, Early Access is now underway for those who pre-ordered the Deluxe Edition of Hello Neighbor 2. Back to Hello Engineer, a new trailer celebrates the news with a look at the MacGyvering in the game. Here's word:

Put your engineering skills to the test in Hello Engineer, a multiplayer construction puzzle game set in the twisted cartoon world of Hello Neighbor. Collect parts and gadgets to assemble into strange custom-made vehicles as you tackle a 20+ mission campaign alone or with friends.

Want to just let your imagination run wild? Step into the Sandbox mode and build freely, with access to every construction part in the game in unlimited quantities. The sandbox also holds several optional construction challenges, and perhaps even a few secrets to be uncovered. It wouldn't be Raven Brooks without a few surprises!

Hello Engineer takes place in the seemingly abandoned Raven Brooks amusement park, lair of the infamous and unhinged Mr. Peterson! Something deeply strange is happening here, and the Raven Brooks Inventors Club (a gang of overly curious local youths) are here to investigate, and it'll take every bit of their ingenuity to escape in one piece.

Continue here to read the full story.

Dwarven Skykeep is now available for Windows and macOS on Steam, offering a strategy game where you satisfy your lofty ambitions by building towers. This is in a medieval setting, so don't sweat anyone judging you due to a passing acquaintance with Freudian interpretation. This features pixel art graphics, as seen in the Launch Trailer, and a comedic approach, as seen in this description: "Dive into a supernatural universe and start building towers using your magical deck of cards... and drunken dwarves." This is on sale for 15% off for the next week, and the soundtrack is also available for purchase. Here's more:

Build, upgrade and defend your towers with the help of faithful dwarves and gnomes. Small and personable yet surprisingly useful, command your miniature army to create, repair and renovate. Toss your minions into fires and sword fights, or have them scavenge for resources. They’ll do almost anything you say.

Explore five distinct worlds, each with its own clever gameplay mechanics and dastardly challenges. Heat up your tower in the Winter World, drive a train full steam ahead in a vast desert, keep your spire afloat among the clouds, and return the sun to its rightful place in the sky while dashing through the Shadow World. Remember that nothing is impossible, especially on your ninth try.

Continue here to read the full story.

Moonshine Inc. is now available for Windows on GOG.com* and Steam, offering a strategy simulation to help you discover your inner rum-runner. This carries a 10% launch discount for the next week, just don't tell the revenuer. The Release Trailer shows off gameplay without beer goggles. So get likkered up and read on for more:

We love moonshin’. There ain’t nothin’ better than good booze. In Appalachia, we know it well. We’ve got moonshine in our blood - in the case of some old-timers, maybe even literally. We love to talk about likker, make it, drink it all day long - and we love to share it too! How 'bout that, my gaming friend?

What’s your alcohol of choice? Do you maybe know how to make it? The process is a complex one, but with our know-how, we can shed some light on it, if you’d like; a little bit of moonlight - moonshine! - to guide you through the processes of fermentation, distillation, and bottling.

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item. Continue here to read the full story.

• Hello Neighbor Franchise Sale Starts Now on Steam.
• Save 50% on World War Z: Aftermath on Steam.
• Save 75% on Witch It on Steam.
• Save 50% on Trek to Yomi on Steam.

Official patches.

• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.
• Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Notes: Version 1.0.6.0h.

Official trailers.

• For Honor: Content of the Week - 1 December.
• Sonic Frontiers: Speed Strats - Progression.

• How Tencent is ramping up its global games business - GamesIndustry.biz.

• Geoff Keighley's live Summer Game Fest 2023 showcase gets June air date.

• Thrilling hunts await when Monster Hunter Rise hits PS5 and PS4 on January 20, 2023.
• Indies highlights coming to PS4 & PS5 in December 2022.

• World Championship 2022 FINALS Official Trailer - Call of Duty: Mobile.
• Coinbase says Apple forced it to remove NFT transfers from its iOS wallet.

• Ye will not be the new owner of Parler.
• Discord server owners can now make money by offering Patreon-like subscription tiers.

• NVIDIA RTX 30 'Ampere' GPU Supply Evaporates From The Market As Second Hand Prices Increase By Up To 200%.

• ConnectWise Quietly Patches Flaw That Helps Phishers.
• Anker’s Eufy lied to us about the security of its security cameras.

• Final Fantasy XVI Rated Mature For Sex Scenes and Hate Crimes. Or is that crime scenes and hate sex?…
• This oppressively dark Soviet FPS now features a simply adorable little model train set…

Last Link of the Day: Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny - Official Trailer.

Obituary: ‘Green Book’ Actor Frank Vallelonga Identified As Body Dumped In Bronx.

Fort Triumph is now available for free on the Epic Games Store, offering the chance to sink your teeth into CookieByte Entertainment's turn-based strategy game for Windows and macOS with a 100% discount. Now also on the giveaway rack is RPG in a Box, a Windows tool to allow you to create your own RPG. Either or both are yours to keep if you lay your claim by next Thursday. That's when Saints Row IV Re-Elected and Wildcat Gun Machine will be up for grabs. Here's the pitch on today's freebies:

A strategy game combining the turn-based combat of XCOM with the world exploration of HOMM. Build towns, collect artifacts, improve your heroes, and influence your tactical surroundings using physics!

RPG in a Box lets you easily turn your stories and ideas into games and other interactive experiences! As its name suggests, it contains everything necessary for doing so, all packaged together "in a box". The software is designed with a fun, beginner-friendly approach in mind as to not require any programming or modelling knowledge, while still providing a wide range of customization and openness. You can export your game to a standalone format for Windows, Linux, and MacOS, allowing others to play it without needing to own RPG in a Box!

A tweet from MechWarrior5Mercs reveals MechWarrior 5 Rise of Rasalhague, new DLC coming on January 26th to MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries (thanks Sarna.net via Neutronbeam). When this arrives you'll be able to buy it on your choice of the Epic Games Store, GOG.com, Steam, or the Windows Store. This will add a new campaign, a new Crusader chassis, and game updates, including some improvements to the base game which will be free to all owners. Here's an overview:

In a conflict that pre-dates the formation of the Star League, Join Colonel Månsdottir and the people of Rasalhague in a fight for freedom and independence from the Great Houses, in a new 12 mission quest line. Rise of Rasalhague adds the Crusader 'Mech chassis with 10 variants, the new Rival Mercenaries feature allowing you to interact with numerous other mercenary companies and the infamous Bounty Hunter.

NVIDIA now offers new version 527.37 WHQL-certified Windows drivers for GeForce graphics cards. These pave the way for tomorrow's planned launches of the PC editions of Marvel's Midnight Suns and Need For Speed Unbound. This article has a discussion of the details about the new drivers along with the Official Launch Trailer for Marvel's Midnight Suns. The news comes along with a rundown of new games with support for NVIDIA's DLSS technology:

DLSS 3 Momentum Snowballs in December!
GeForce Gamers have been good this year and are due for a stocking stuffed with DLSS 3, as the hottest holiday titles are chocked full of NVIDIA technology. And of course great DLSS 2 titles as well. Here is the list:

DLSS 3:

• Need for Speed Unbound (out now with DLSS 3)
• Warhammer 40,000 Darktide (out now with DLSS 3 and ray tracing)
• Portal with RTX (launches Dec. 8th with DLSS 3 and full ray tracing)
• Jurassic World Evolution 2 (updates to DLSS 3 on Dec. 8th)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (updates to DLSS 3 and ray tracing on Dec. 14th)

Continue here to read the full story.

With The Game Awards set to air one week from today, Valve announces it will be giving away one 512GB Steam Deck every minute during the live airing of show. This is only open to Steam users who watch the awards live through Steam. It's not clear why they are so desperate to be the go-to outlet for the awards, which will be co-streamed by many sites, but there it is. Here's more:

In celebration of The Game Awards, Steam Deck now being in stock, and gaming in general, we will be giving away one 512GB Steam Deck every minute during the live airing of The Game Awards. Enter below for your chance to win!

To enter you must be in the US, Canada, UK, or EU. Winners will be drawn from registrants watching The Game Awards on Steam. View Official Rules

Early Access to Retro Gadgets is now underway on Steam, putting players behind a simulated workbench to create and modify a variety of gizmos. This trip back to the 1990s from Licorice ehf and Studio Evil has no platform logos, but the specs at the bottom of the page are for Windows. The Early Access Launch Trailer show off new and familiar gadgets and highlights how they can be repaired, enhanced, and customized. Here's more:

In Retro Gadgets, players make and customise their own gadgets, which they can code to bring to life before sharing with the community. Working in a tactile interface, tinkerers will press buttons, flick switches, twist dials, and move joysticks to build and interact with any gadget they can think of. The game features full Steam Workshop integration, letting players download, inspect and reverse engineer each other's projects to create their own versions.

Doubling up as an educational tool, Retro Gadgets lets players create their gadgets with full support for Lua code, including a documented editor. This enables gadgets to come to life, from video game consoles to live weather stations and calculators. Once built, creators can use their gadgets on their desktops while running Retro Gadgets. In the future, players and designers will be able to export their projects and use them individually as widgets on their Windows computers. Make a tool you need for your daily workflow in Retro Gadgets and export it for your personal use.

Continue here to read the full story.

IO Interactive reveals the Winter Roadmap for HITMAN 3, the assassination for hire sequel. This launches the Holiday Horders event that includes a Santa 47 suit unlock. This is permanent for owners, and will be free for Starter Pack players for the next five days. Down the road plans include next week's new Elusive Target, and more to follow, including a Holiday Special, a Snow Special in January, and more. This also states January 26th is when to expect the launch of the roguelike Freelancer update. Here's the Winter Roadmap Video and here's the big picture:

December has arrived and we’ve prepared a traditional bumper roadmap with two months worth of content for HITMAN 3 players to unwrap and enjoy. Both December and January are packed into this special edition for the holiday period – and there are some new, festive-themed unlocks on the way too!

Starting with a new challenge and unlock today to kick-start the month, through to the release of HITMAN 3 Freelancer on January 26, there’s plenty to be excited about. Let’s take a closer look at what’s to come this Winter in HITMAN 3.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Tekken 8 will reportedly be shown during The Game Awards.

• CDPR Confirms The Witcher Remake Will Be Released After The Witcher 4.

• Copyright, cost, and ageing code: why some games disappear from Steam.

• Amazon's Fallout adaptation "not retelling a game story."

Official patches.

• World of Warcraft — Hotfixes: November 30, 2022.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Xbox App for Windows [2212.1001.29.0]. Thanks Console General.

Official trailers.

• Dead Island 2 - Watch the Showcase December 6th.
• Like a Dragon- Ishin! - Combat Trailer.

• Marvel’s Midnight Suns Director Interview – Unlocked 572 - IGN.

• 2022 Indie of the Year Awards Nominations Now Open.
• 2022 Mod of the Year Awards Nominations Now Open.

• Company of Heroes 3: The Final Preview - IGN.

• iOS 16 Updates - Apple Support. Thanks Ant.

• Never mind, Musk says — accusation against Apple was a ‘misunderstanding.’ Mercurial much? Thanks Matthew.
• Mark Zuckerberg sides with Elon Musk over Apple App Store fees controversy.

• Twitter's chaos could worsen political violence around the world. Thanks RedEye9.
• Let’s Encrypt issued over 3 billion certificates, securing 309M sites for free. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• YouTube's top US videos of 2022 include Technoblade's farewell and Will Smith's slap.
• William Gibson's Neuromancer coming to Apple TV+.

• Microsoft offers fix for Windows 11 gaming performance issues.
• Musk's said he’ll put a Neuralink chip in his brain when they are ready.
• Graphene is a proven supermaterial, but manufacturing the versatile form of carbon at usable scales remains a challenge. Thanks Acleacius.
• Disney built an AI that can easily make actors look younger or older.

• Cybersecurity researchers take down DDoS botnet by accident. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Chrome, Defender, and Firefox 0-days linked to commercial IT firm in Spain. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• LastPass reveals another security breach.
• Google shares details of newly found commercial spyware threats.
• These file types are the ones most commonly used by hackers to hide their malware.
• Medibank hackers reportedly release all data on dark web.

• FTX Was (And Is) A Complete Mess - LegalEagle (video). Thanks RedEye9.
• The Hunt for the Kingpin Behind AlphaBay, Part 6- Endgame (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Ex-FTX boss Bankman-Fried: 'I didn't try to commit fraud.' Fraud savant?

• Atari 50 isn't just GREAT, it's IMPORTANT! - Indie Ramble (video).
• Sonic Frontiers - DSOGaming.

• Case: FSP CST350 PLUS Review - TechPowerUp.
• Graphics Card: Asus ROG Strix GeForce RTX 4090 OC review - PC Gamer.
• Headset: ROCCAT Syn Max Air Gaming Headset - Christ Centered Gamer.
• Misc: xDuoo TA-22 Desktop DAC-Tube Amplifier Review - Glowy Warmth! - TechPowerUp.
• SSD: Micron 7450 Pro 7.68TB Enterprise SSD Review - Double Density - TweakTown.
• SSD: Neo Forza NFP445 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD - Nikk Tech.

• Forget the moral panic, gaming and impact games can stimulate mental wellbeing. Thanks Ant…

Well, despite my predictions to the contrary, I ended up cybering on Cyber Monday. I mentioned a long time ago my desire to embark on an upgrade path being derailed by parts shortages. So I'm minding my own business on Monday when I see an RTX 2060 on sale for $179. The way I generally work is to upgrade my GPU until it's clear the system is CPU bound, and then build a new machine around the new video card. But this was so cheap it struck me I should just get one as a stopgap while I waited for the GPU market to shake out further. But some research suggested that while it could open the door to ray-tracing and other advanced features, this card was arguably less powerful in some areas than the GTX 1080 it would replace. But by now I was in the mindset that maybe something could finally done about my aging system. So I raised my sights and did some searching. What I came up with was a RTX 3070 Ti. At MSRP! It is quite a comment on the market that getting a GPU at list price on Cyber Monday constitutes a bargain. But it did seem like a steal, so I ordered one.

This should arrive today, so I will know quickly enough if this will give the rest of my system a reprieve, or accelerate its retirement schedule. My CPU is a ridiculously old i5-3570K, so the retirement scenario is almost a certainty. I found an outline of this GPU's CPU requirements that actually suggested I was in the right zone, as the 3750K runs faster than 3GHz and has four cores, so it only falls (way) short in the TDP category. But I see discussions about much faster CPUs being bottlenecks, so I know where this is going. But I'm going there willingly, as the upgrade process is overdue. So I'm happy to take the first step.

Obituary: RIP Aline Kominsky-Crumb (1948-2022).

Upgrade Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Link

• Plant-based meat is the star of this veggie chili recipe. Thanks RedEye9.
• Taylor-Johnson A New Bond Frontrunner.

Science
Thanks Max.

• Scientists Create 'Invisible Fiber' That Can Make Cakes And Pizzas Better For You.
• How to know what you really want.
• Toward Early Detection of the Pathological Social Withdrawal Syndrome Known as ‘Hikikomori.'
• Mammoth problem found with extinction timeline.

Media
Thanks Kxmode.

• Cocaine Bear - Official Trailer. Thanks The Guardian via RedEye9.
• Pink Floyd - "Delicate Sound of Thunder" New 4k Edition.
• Best World Records from November 2022.
• Bayer Aspirin Commercial (1973). Nightmarish.

Follow-up

• The days of the hydrogen car are already over. Gone the way of the zeppelin. Thanks Max.